[Granville-Hough] 15 Jan 2010 - Lest We Forget the Chasseurs Voluntaires

[Trustees for Granville W. Hough]

Date: Fri, 15 Jan 2010 08:52:35 -0800
From: Granville W Hough <gwhough at oakapple.net>
Subject: Lest We Forget the Chasseurs Voluntaires - 15 Jan 2010

  In this time of great turmoil and disaster for the Haitian people, it 
is well for us to remember how they once fought to bring freedom to America:

LEST WE FORGET THE CHAUSSEURS VOILONTARIES

The Siege of Savannah was the last effort of Count (and French General) 
Charles Hector dÆEstaing to gain some glory in AmericaÆs Revolution 
against England. His lack of success there may be one reason this siege 
is seldom mentioned. The British defenders had sunk ships to block any 
entrance to the harbor, forcing dÆEstaingÆs soldiers to attack over open 
ground well covered by cannon fire from the defending forts. The Siege 
lasted from 23 Sep 1779 until 8 Oct 1779. The protecting palisades of 
the forts were made of palmetto logs, which absorbed French cannon fire 
like a sponge. The French attacked over and over with everything they 
had, infantry, cavalry, artillery, and sappers, all to no avail. The 
carnage for the attackers was great with over 1000 casualties, but the 
attack continued until Count dÆEstaing was so severely wounded he could 
not longer command.
The French then had to retreat under British counterattack. The 
Chasseurs Voilontaries, the unit designated to cover the withdrawal, did 
so with discipline and bravery, making it possible for the French to 
recover most of their wounded and get back to the safety of their ships. 
This legion of 800 free blacks and mulattos from Saint Domingue (Haiti) 
had been formed by Viscount de Fontanges, who commanded it at Savannah. 
Among these soldiers were five men who later became Haitian generals: 
Beauregard, Beauvais, Lambert, Andre Rigaud and Villatte. One soldier, 
wounded during the retreat, Henri Christophe, was later King of Haiti.
These 800 soldiers are well-remembered as leaders of Haiti when it broke 
away from France. It is probable, after six to eight generations, that 
these soldiers have 80,000 descendants in Haiti, other parts of the West 
Indies, and in the United States. By virtue of their bravery under the 
French flag at Savannah, fighting for the freedom of America, these 800 
soldiers qualified their descendants to join the Sons of the American 
Revolution and the Daughters of the American Revolution.
We were never able to find a listing of the soldiers. I am quite sure 
that such a listing would be among the French Archives for that period, 
but I did not get around to hiring someone to hunt it up in France.